Schwetzingen SWR Festival: The Bat

Johann Strauss' operetta in a shortened version by Boris Aljinovic (text and narrator), performed by the clair-obscur saxophone quartet. "Slightly shortened and heavily spiced": This is how Florian Vogel, director of the Kleist Forum in Frankfurt (Oder), describes this version of Johann Strauss' bitterly humorous operetta Die Fledermaus. The guarantees that brevity truly brings flavor here are actor Boris Aljinovic, who will perform his own text version since there will be no singing that evening, and the clair-obscur saxophone quartet. The ensemble derives its name from the chiaroscuro painting, which was particularly used during the Baroque period to enhance contrasts and expression, suggesting a direction for the musical part of the adaptation: The many hits of the operetta are served in such a sharp, lively, and virtuosic manner that one need not fear encountering a mere "little bat" here. On the contrary, the concentrate focuses even more on the hypocrisy of people, whose emotions are merely feigned. The great art lies in the fact that this demasking is highly entertaining and witty. And in the end, an anarchic escape route remains: the great intoxication. Drinking brightens the eyes – long live King Champagne! A production of the Kleist Forum.